It is important for women to believe in their own abilities…
There are few companies in Georgia where a woman holds a management position. Today’s guest of ours thinks that the difference between male and female managers is their attitude to work, not their gender. As he points out, fairness, discipline and a little risk are what should characterize a manager. “The manager must trust the team and vice versa” – magazine OK! I will introduce you to the director of the pharmaceutical company “Europharma Georgia”, Alisa Arslan.
Get to know our readers…
My education and work have always been related to the field of healthcare, although I have never worked as a doctor. I am currently living in Istanbul, where I am working on my thesis on medication management for a doctorate in healthcare management. Despite my busy schedule, I am always online with Georgia and can work remotely. I have been the director of “Europharma Georgia” since its foundation. I have a wife and two children.
What was the purpose of creating “Europharma Georgia”?
The pharmaceutical company “Europharma Georgia” has been operating on the Georgian market for 11 years. The company’s goal was to identify customer requirements and offer unique, reliable and innovative products focused on them. I can safely say that we were able to establish ourselves in the market and gain the trust of the public, which was not easy.
Tell us about your path to success, remember the first steps in your career…
After graduating from the medical university, at the age of 23, I found myself in one of the pharmaceutical companies. Soon, in 5 months, I became a manager.
After that, I had the experience of working as a marketing and product manager in another company. It should be noted that I never looked for a job myself, I always progressed through recommended positions. That’s how I found myself in the position of director of “Europharma Georgia”.
What do you think is the key to success at this stage of life?
Purposefulness, justice and discipline are essential on the path to success. Also, you should not be afraid of risk and you should be confident that everything will work out. I approach any work with sincerity, enthusiasm and expectation of victory, and material expectations are put on the last place. This is exactly what helped me to make the company so successful today.
What kind of leader are you?
It’s one thing for the team members or management to choose you as a manager, and the second and more important thing is to maintain and further increase your success, which is quite difficult in the Georgian reality.
I try to be a strict and disciplined manager within the framework of humanity, how well it works for me, of course, the team members have to evaluate.
I think the most important thing in management is that employees love their work and perform their duties without coercion.
Also, subordination is important, which is expressed in the balance of service and friendly relations and respect for common values. That is why we were formed not as a collective, but as one team; Not as a job, but as a family.
What motivates you in your work?
When a team of 30 people believes that their leader will find a solution in any situation and never fear any obstacle, it is a great motivation that can really move me over the mountain.
The main challenge of the last years – we passed the pandemic painlessly, because we turned the crisis into an opportunity, and during this period each team member was convinced of the importance of common values. For me, trust is the most important thing in business and in any relationship, and it must be mutual. Many thanks to my team for this trust.
Also, an important motivator for me is my mother, without whom I really could not be a good leader. In general, my mother has a big place in my life.
What kinds of challenges do you think women face today? How can we strengthen each other?
The main thing is for women to believe in their own abilities, to believe that dreams can come true. Thanks to hard work, determination and the inner sun in them, they will definitely succeed!
To constantly work on themselves and be a better version of themselves every day.
By Sofia Malania
Photo: Tornike Saakadze
Translated by Mariam Mtivlishvili
